About
Patrick Beldio is a scholar of comparative theology and religion at Marymount University and George Washington University in Washington, DC. Some of his areas of academic research and teaching are interreligious studies, comparative theology, Hindu-Christian relations, interfaith dialogue, religion and visual culture, religion and gender, with a focus on Franciscan spirituality, the Integral Yoga of Sri Aurobindo, and the teachings of Meher Baba and his Sufi school Sufism Reoriented. His current book project features the Mother and her contribution to Integral Yoga. Patrick is also a professional sculptor with a studio at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, DC. Education
Ph.D., Religion and Culture, 2016, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC.
M.F.A., Sculpture, 2002, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
M.A., Systematic Theology, 1999, The Washington Theological Union, Washington, DC.
B.F.A., Sculpture, 1994, The University of Notre Dame (cum laude), Notre Dame, IN.
B.A., Studio Art and Philosophy, 1992, The University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN. Publications
“Mirra Alfassa: An Apprentice to the Divine of Tomorrow” (working title), for special issue “Gurus, Priestesses, Saints, Mediums and Yoginis: Holy Women as Influencers in Hindu Culture,” guest ed. June McDaniel and Antoinette,
Religions, forthcoming.
“Mirra Alfassa’s Spirituality of Sustainability and Transformation.” Chapter in
Religion and Sustainability: Interreligious Resources, Interdisciplinary Responses Vol II. Edited by Rita Sherma and Purushottama Bilimoria. New York: Springer, (forthcoming).
“Meher Baba’s Spirituality of Sustainability and Transformation.” Chapter in
Religion and Sustainability: Interreligious Resources, Interdisciplinary Responses. Edited by Rita Sherma and Purushottama Bilimoria. New York: Springer, 2022. Part of Springer’s UN Sustainable Development Goals Series.
“Uniting Spirit and Matter: Aesthetics, Art, and Visual Culture in Hindu-Christian Relations.” Chapter in
Handbook of Hindu-Christian Relations. Edited by Michelle Voss Roberts and Chad Bauman. 268-279. New York: Routledge, 2021.
“The Integral Yoga of the Sri Aurobindo Aśram: Gender, Spirituality, and the Arts,” chapter in
Modern Hinduism in Text and Context. Edited by Lavanya Vemsani. 123- 136. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2018.
“Introduction au mouvement spirituel fondé par la Mère et Sri Aurobindo,”
Religioscope. Coauthored with David Breme and Marie Horassius.
https://www.religion.info/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2018_10_Aurobindo_Mere.pdf.
“The Mother (Mirra Alfassa),” profile for
World Religions and Spirituality,
https://wrldrels.org/2018/10/13/the-mother-nee-mirra-blanche-rachel-alfassa/, 2018.
“The Androgynous Visual Piety of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo and St. Clare and St. Francis.”
Journal of Hindu Christian Studies 28 (November 2015): 11-32.
Projects
Mirra Alfassa: Mother & Child of the Divine of Tomorrow
(under contract with Lexington Books and part of Jeffery Long’s edited series “Explorations in Indic Traditions: Theological, Ethical, and Philosophical,” with estimated date of publication 2023).
This book critically analyzes the role and influence of the Mother (née Mirra Alfassa, 1878-1973) on the integral yoga that she and Sri Aurobindo (née Aurobindo Ghose, 1872-1950) co-created. This is, remarkably, the first study of its kind as scholars have either disparaged, thinned, or ignored her for Aurobindo. This book is a theological and religious studies analysis that 1. evaluates the influence of Mirra on Aurobindo’s spiritual practice and teaching and begins to critically describe the nature of their relationship, intellectually and spiritually; 2. focuses on how Aurobindo influenced Mirra’s teaching in Pondicherry and how she developed the integral yoga tradition after his passing; and 3. explores some broader implications of Mirra’s life and teachings, examining others who we might call “apprentices of the divine of tomorrow” as well as other couples or “spiritual consorts” that compare with her and Aurobindo. Upcoming Talks and Conferences
“The Relevance of Sri Aurobindo’s Aesthetics.” Paper presented at a special conference celebrating Sri Aurobindo’s 150thbirth anniversary. Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France, November 2022.
“Beyond Dualism and Nondualism: Meher Baba’s Exhaustivist Theology of Religions.” Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Religion, Denver, CO for the Theology Without Walls Group, November 2022.
“Meher Baba’s Spirituality of Sustainability and Transformation,” Paper presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Religion, Denver, CO for the Society of Hindu Christian Studies and the Dharma Academy of North America (DANAM), November 2022. Memberships
American Academy of Religion
Society of Hindu Christian Studies
Dharma Academy of North America
Theology Without Walls
